Whilst it's never going to be described as an armchair plush ride, the Reacto delivers a level of comfort I haven't really felt from a dedicated aero machine. But what sets the Reacto apart from the competition is the ride quality. To put it even more simply I was achieving Strava KOMs and top tens on segments where I would normally struggle to be in the top 20 and average speeds were far higher on rides.Ī lot of this is down to the narrow, aerodynamic profile of the bike and those superb deep Vision wheels - of course replicate this setup on quite a few bikes and your performance will certainly increase. With a power meter on board I was able to accurately gauge my effort and compare speeds with other similar bikes I have ridden and I can confirm that the Reacto seemed to deliver significantly faster speeds over segments when compared with other similar bikes. But what is even more outstanding is how the Reacto maintains that speed with what seems like minimal effort. The sheer unadulterated speed and responsiveness of the machine is intoxicating and you can tell that every single ounce of effort put in is translated into brutal efficiency.

It's been quite a while since I had this feeling but the Reacto blew me away within the first few minutes. This was cured with a little tape but it was a tiny bit annoying.Įvery once in a while you jump on board a bike that you can tell is something a bit special within the first pedal stroke. The seatpost was also the source of my only real gripe with the Reacto as the rubber cap covering the seatclamp gubbins kept rising up the post during a ride. This is a decent addition, however it takes a single AAA battery rather than being USB rechargeable and as such ran out pretty quickly, leaving me with the hassle of trying to find a new battery. This has a huge chunk cut out of it presumably to add a bit of compliance/flex and Merida has neatly added a rubber encased rear light to clean up the look. Interestingly Merida specced my large size test bike with 175mm cranks - I approve.Ī pretty comfy Prologo saddle sits atop of Merida's proprietary carbon seatpost. This reliably synced up and remained consistent in output when linked to my trusty Garmin 530. Merida has specced the Team-E with the Dura Ace power meter chainset to add another level of intent. Shimano's flagship Dura Ace Di2 drivetrain and hydraulic brakes provide almost flawless performance and reliability and really need very little extra said about it.

Whilst its £9000 price tag is clearly a massive investment, the spec sheet stacks up well against the competition. Our sample came slammed with very little in the way of spacers but again this suited my usual ride position (typically 145mm drop from saddle to bar/795mm saddle height).īeing an almost part for part replica of the Bahrain McLaren team bike the Team-E is bedecked in dream-build level kit.

Sizing it comes up as between a 56 and 58cm (so 57cm!) and fitted my 183cm frame incredibly well. It has a slightly shorter back end than some of its rivals such as the Trek Madone and our large frame size has a short 155mm head tube length yet long effective top tube to give it an even more race-like stance. The numbers for the Reacto are pretty standard for an aggressive race oriented machine with a 73.5 degree head angle and 73 degree seat angle. The shape and angle of the junction between seatstay and chainstay has also seen big changes to bring a degree more compliance into the rear triangle, despite the stays maintaining a truncated airfoil/NACA shape.Īdditional features such as a concealed seatpost clamp, flush thru-axles and new versions of Merida’s unique disc brake cooling fins all further contribute towards reducing the overall drag of the Reacto Team-E. Of the most obvious frame changes, the new Reacto features a much lower seatstay arrangement, now starting further down the seat tube. The frame utilises the same grade carbon and similar layup as the old top-level Reacto but has lost some of the lumps and bumps in favour of a lighter overall weight. All savings were measured in a virtual wind tunnel at 45km/h.

There’s also a new fork design that integrates even more closely to the frame, again bringing a 2 watt saving. According to Merida, this integration offers a 2 watt saving over the existing version – per cable. The cockpit and front end of the bike feature complete cable integration – look carefully and you still won’t see anything, just a super clean interface between bar, stem and frame.

Of course there are still improved aero claims with the new Reacto, thanks to refinements in the frame design.

Merida reacto track